Agricola Express Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• A Player's Turn
• Dice Groups
  • Add Rooms
  • Upgrade House
  • Have Baby
  • Plant Field
  • Build Pasture
  • Gain Occupation
  • Collect Produce
  • Collect Animals
  • Collect Resources
  • Build Hearth or Oven
  • Build Workshop
• Occupations
• Improvements
• Harvest
• Winner

Setup

Give each player an Agricola Express score sheet. Each player should mark on their score sheet that they own:

• A Wood House
• 2 Food
• 1 Reed, 1 Wood, 1 Brick, and 1 Stone.

These are your starting resources.

The 13 dice are also needed.

Make sure you have all 13 Agricola Express dice, as follows:

• Farm Dice ×2: Each farm die has 2 House, Pasture, and Field faces.
• Occupation Die ×1: The occupation die has Mayor, Builder, Farmer, Rancher, Gatherer, and Midwife faces. Future expansions may add more.
• Improvement Die ×1: The improvement die has Oven, Hearth, Basketmaker's Workshop, Joinery, Pottery Workshop, and Stonecutter's Workshop faces. Future expansions may add more.
• Produce Dice ×3: The produce dice have Food, 2 Food, Grain, and Vegetable faces.
• Resource Dice ×3: The resource dice have Reed, Wood, Brick, and Stone faces.
• Animal Dice ×3: The animal dice have Sheep, Boar, and Cattle faces.

Start Player: For the first harvest, the player who most recently won Agricola starts (or played if no player has won). For subsequent harvests, the player with the lowest score is the new start player.

The start player is the person who played Agricola most recently. If there is a tie, the player who won most recently starts.

Round Summary: Each player takes an action, beginning with the start player, in clockwise order. Continue until all actions for the round are taken, skipping players when they have no more actions in the round.

Action Overview:

1. Choose to either use the previous player's unused dice or re-roll all dice.
2. Use maximum 1 occupation, if any are owned, to set dice faces.
3. Select a Dice Group from the showing available dice.
4. Record the results on the score sheet.

A Player's Turn

Players take turns choosing actions, in a clockwise order from the start player. If it comes to a player's turn and they have no actions left, they are skipped until all players have taken all actions for the current round. Then the start player starts the next round.

On a player's turn the player must choose one of the following:

• Treat the unused dice from the previous players' dice roll as his roll.
• Gather and roll all the dice.

Next, the player may choose to use the power of one occupation he has previously acquired. Multiple occupations may not be used on a single action. Typically this allows the player to set one or more dice from their current face to a player-selected face. The Midwife is the exception to this rule. See Occupations below for more information.

After using an occupation ability, if desired, the player must choose a dice group, which will let the player collect produce, resources, or animals, build new improvements, take an occupation, or grow his farm or family. See Dice Groups below for possible selections.

The set of dice in the dice group are pulled aside from the set of dice to show that these dice have been used and are not available for later players to choose their dice group from, if they do not wish to re-roll all dice.

Finally, the player records the newly acquired benefit of his dice group on his score sheet, before the next player's action.

Note that it is possible for a single player to have multiple actions in a row if they are playing solo, if they have more actions than the other players or if they become the start player for the next round. In this case, the player may choose a dice group from his previous unused dice until he decides to re-roll.

Important: The dice are not automatically collected at the end of a round. The start player has a chance to use the unused dice for his first action of the next round.

Notes (Rules Summary): A single player who has multiple actions in a row may choose from his own previously unused dice. At the end of the round, the unused dice will be made available to the start player for the next round. This may be a different start player if this round ends in a harvest.

Action Costs: These are summarized on the score sheet.

Dice Group Actions (Rules Summary): Add rooms; Upgrade house type; Have baby; Plant field; Build pasture; Gain occupation; Collect produce; Collect animals; Collect resources; Build hearth or oven; Build workshop.

Dice Groups

There are many possible dice groups to choose from, depending upon the dice faces rolled.

Some dice groups have a cost associated with them. These costs may be paid either from the player's score sheet (previously collected) or may be paid from the available dice but at double the listed cost. For example, if something cost 1 Wood, the player could cross off 1 Wood from his score sheet, or add 2 Wood resource dice from the available dice to his dice group. If only 1 Wood resource die were available, he would have to pay from his score sheet. Costs are shown in brackets below.

Dice groups include:

Add Rooms

Cost: 1 Reed and 1 resource of the player's current house type per room.

Selecting the House Farm die lets the player pay 1 Reed and 1 resource of the player's current house type (starting the game at Wood) per room he wishes to add. He may add as many as he has resources to pay for.

Rules Summary: You may add as many rooms as you can pay for. May not be combined with upgrading or having a baby.

Upgrade House

Cost: 2 Brick (wood house to brick house), or 2 Stone (brick house to stone house).

Selecting the House Farm die lets the player pay 2 Brick to upgrade his wood house to a brick house, or 2 Stone to upgrade his brick house to a stone house. He may do upgrade from a wood house to a stone house for a single action by spending 2 Brick and 2 Stone.

Rules Summary: You start with a wood house with zero rooms. You may upgrade to brick and upgrade to stone for a single action, but you must pay the full cost for both upgrades.

Have Baby

Cost: none.

If the player has more rooms in his house than he has babies, he may take the House Farm die face to have a baby. There is no cost. This immediately gives him another action in the current round. He may only use this action to have 1 baby. At the start of the game, the player will need to add a room before he can have a baby. 4 babies is the maximum.

Rules Summary: You may only have 1 baby on a single action. You must have one room in your house for each baby, and you must build the room first.

Plant Field

Cost: none. Optional: 1 Grain or 1 Vegetable from the available dice, or 1 Grain or 1 Vegetable from the score sheet.

The player can select the Field Farm die face to plow a new field. At this time, he has the option to add a grain or vegetable from the available dice to plant the field, or he may use a grain or vegetable from his score sheet. Either way, he records 2 of the selected type (grain or vegetable) on his score sheet. He may choose not to plant if he wishes, in which case he only needs the Field. There is no cost.

Rules Summary: You may only take one field for a single action. When you take the field, you may optionally take 1 grain or 1 vegetable from the available dice. You may also expend this from your score sheet. If you take this bonus grain or vegetable, record it on your score sheet as 2 grain or vegetables (this represents the planting/growing). (Editor's note: the last bullet, "3 Animal dice (brown)", sits in the Plant Field sidebar of the source, where it appears to be a layout artifact; it is transcribed as printed.)

Build Pasture

Cost: 1 Wood.

The player may select the Pasture Farm die face to build a new pasture on his farm. Each pasture holds as many of one type of animal as the player wishes. When he builds the pasture, he may also choose 1 available animal die to stock his pasture. This animal may be combined with previously collected animals of that type.

Rules Summary: May take one die of animals from the available pool when building the pasture. Each pasture holds an unlimited number of one type of animal.

Gain Occupation

Cost: 1 Food.

By selecting the Occupation die and paying 1 Food, the player may claim the selected occupation. If the player already has that occupation, he may instead claim the occupation of his choice that he does not yet have. Note that all players may have any given occupation. See Occupations below for details about what the occupations do.

Rules Summary: You may have any number of occupations. All players may have the same occupations. Taking an occupation you already have allows you to choose any occupation.

Collect Produce

Collect 1–3 matching produce dice.

The player may choose to collect 1–3 Produce dice that show the same produce type. 1 Food and 2 Food produce die faces are considered the same type for these purposes. This is also true when paying double for costs from the available resources.

Rules Summary: Collect 1–3 matching dice. 1 Food and 2 Food match.

Collect Animals

Collect 1–3 matching animal dice.

The player may choose to collect 1–3 Animal dice that show the same animal type. He must have a pasture to place the animals into, or he must have a hearth where he must immediately cook them for food. He may choose to discard or cook previously collected animals to have an empty pasture into which to place the new stock.

Rules Summary: Collect 1–3 matching dice. You must have a pasture if you keep the animals. You may discard or cook the collected animals, or a previous set of animals if you do not have enough (or any) pasture space.

Collect Resources

Collect 1–3 matching resource dice.

The player may choose to collect 1–3 Resource dice that show the same resource type. Collect an extra resource if the corresponding workshop is owned.

Rules Summary: Collect 1–3 matching dice.

Build Hearth or Oven

Cost: 1 Brick or 1 Stone.

The player may select the hearth or oven on the Improvement die by paying either 1 Brick or 1 Stone. If you have already built one, choosing it again lets you build the improvement of your choice.

Rules Summary: Take the hearth or oven on the improvement die.

Build Workshop

Cost: 1 Wood.

The player may build any of the four workshops by paying 1 Wood. You can only build each workshop once. If you have already built a particular workshop, choosing that workshop again lets you build the improvement of your choice.

Rules Summary: Take the workshop on the improvement die.

Occupations

Each occupation lets you mitigate the randomness of the dice by setting dice as you choose, after rolling. The Mayor and Midwife also allow you to earn points during scoring. You may only use 1 occupation per action (not counting point scoring during harvest).

• Mayor: The mayor allows the player to pay 2 Food to set one Farm die to any face he wishes. The mayor also scores 2 points per field owned during each harvest.
• Builder: The builder allows the player to set an Improvement die to any face he wishes. The builder also scores 1 point per improvement owned during each harvest.
• Farmer: The farmer allows the player to set up to 2 Produce dice to any faces desired.
• Rancher: The rancher allows the player to set up to 2 Animal dice to any faces desired.
• Gatherer: The farmer allows the player to set up to 2 Resource dice to any faces desired. (Printed as "The farmer" in the source text; the occupation is the Gatherer, as the occupation's name and the Rules Summary sidebar ("Gatherer: Set 2 Resource dice.") confirm. Transcribed as printed, with this note.)
• Midwife: The midwife halves the cost of feeding babies at harvest time, and also scores points for babies every harvest.

Rules Summary (Occupations):

• Use after rolling. May only use 1 per action.
• Mayor: Pay 2 Food to set Farm die. Score 2 points per Field.
• Builder: Set Improvement die. Score 1 point per Improvement.
• Farmer: Set 2 Produce dice.
• Rancher: Set 2 Animal dice.
• Gatherer: Set 2 Resource dice.
• Midwife: Halves baby Food costs. Scores babies every harvest.

Improvements

Improvements help you create food at harvest time or score additional points based on resources.

• Oven: The oven lets you convert 1 grain into 2 food or 1 vegetable into 3 food at any time (even during harvest).
• Hearth: The hearth lets you convert 1 sheep into 2 food or 1 boar into 3 food or 1 cattle into 4 food at any time (even during harvest).
• Basketmaker's Workshop: The basketmaker's workshop adds 1 "virtual" reed to your available dice. You may collect this when collecting reed or use it to pay costs, along with another reed in the available dice (because of the double cost). It also scores points for reed owned during harvest: 2 points for every set of 2 reed.
• Joinery: The joinery is a workshop that adds 1 "virtual" wood to your available dice (see above). It also scores points for wood owned during harvest: 2 points for every set of 3 wood.
• Pottery Workshop: The pottery workshop adds 1 "virtual" brick to your available dice (see above). It also scores points for brick owned during harvest: 2 points for every set of 3 brick.
• Stonecutter's Workshop: The stonecutter's workshop adds 1 "virtual" stone to your available dice (see above). It also scores points for stone owned during harvest: 2 points for every set of 2 stone.

Rules Summary (Improvements):

• Oven: Cook grain/vegetables for 2/3 food any time.
• Hearth: Cook sheep/boar/cattle for 2/3/4 food any time.
• Basketmaker's Workshop: 1 virtual reed. Score reed at 2pt/2.
• Joinery: 1 virtual wood. Score wood at 2pt/3.
• Pottery Workshop: 1 virtual brick. Score brick at 2pt/3.
• Stonecutter's Workshop: 1 virtual stone. Score stone at 2pt/2.

Harvest

At each harvest, you score points based on how well your farm is doing.

Feeding: First you must feed your family 2 food each (including your 2 starting family members). You lose 3 points for each food you are missing. The midwife halves the food costs for babies only (not the original 2 family members).

Breeding: Each pasture in which you have 2 or more animals of a type, gain 1 more of that type.

Scoring: Score points in the various categories as summarized on the score sheet.

Rules Summary (Harvest): Feed your family 2 food each. –3 points for each missing food. Babies cost half food if you own the midwife. For every pasture with 2+ animals, gain a new animal of that type. Score points based on the guidelines provided on the score sheet.

Winner

The player with the highest total score at the end of 3 harvests wins. Unused food is the tiebreaker. 85 pts. is par for solo game.

Rules Summary (Winner): Player with the most points totaled from all 3 harvests wins, with unused food as the tie-breaker. Solo games win if they beat the par score of 85 points.